Healthcare industry still posting job growth

The healthcare workforce continued to live in a world apart from the wider economy in September, adding an estimated 19,200 jobs while unemployment in the economy as a whole pushed to a 26-year-high, at 9.8%.

Healthcare as an industry has not recorded an overall decline in jobs since the start of the recession. Preliminary seasonally adjusted figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show the healthcare sector growing by 0.14% in September. The industry has added 195,400 jobs during 2009, growing by 1.4%.

Most of the growth has been in outpatient settings such as physician offices and home healthcare. Physician-office staffing grew by about 0.2% in September, adding 5,300 employees to a workforce of 2.3 million. A year ago, physician-office employment grew in September by about 0.3%. Home healthcare services grew by 0.4% in September, adding 4,400 workers to a total employment of 1 million, the same percentage as a year ago.

Hospital employment has not fared as well in the recession, particularly in 2009. Hospital employment in September grew 0.1% in a workforce of 4.7 million. Last September saw hospital employment grow about 0.2%. In the past 12 months, hospitals, physician offices, and home healthcare agencies added 49,600, 51,700, and 58,700 jobs respectively. The industry as a whole added 283,300 in that time.

What do you think? Post a comment on this article and share your opinion with other readers. Submit your letter to Modern Physician Online at [email protected]. Please be sure to include your hometown and state, along with your organization and title.